Merlin and his Queen
by Theriechenbachevent
Summary: Merlin was ALWAYS causing trouble. It was what Merlins did, Arthur supposed. Still, every so often he managed to entangle himself in a mess so big that Arthur was hard pressed to figure out how to help him. That is if he wanted help at all. Or, alternatively, The one where Merlin accidentally gets a proposal. {2nd chapter up.}
1. Merlin?

**A/N:**

For anyone wondering why this is an HP crossover, it's because Queen Maeve is a JK Rowling character. She's supposed to be an ancient sorceress Queen of Scotland from before Hogwarts was founded. She was also known for teaching youth the correct of way of practising magic.

I'm quite proud of this one. This is a oneshot for now, but once my other ongoing fics are finished, then I shall start this one.  
Anyways, please read and COMMENT.  
If you do comment, please tell me your suggestions for themes, things and situations you would love to see in this story.  
Also please read my other fic, Talk Sense to a Fool & He Calls You Foolish :) It would mean the world to me!  
Happy reading!

 **Merlin and His Queen**

If Merlin had been asked to tell someone why the things that happened to him, well, happened, he'd be hard pressed to say anything other than 'the gods hate me'.

And to some extent, to the onlooker, this would be true. For the following excerpt from the warlock's life was so rife with strange coincidences and occurrences that there was truly no explanation other than the fact the gods were simply having fun at the poor man's expense.

* * *

" _Mer_ lin!" The boy in question just managed to avoid the bronze goblet that was lobbed at his head.

"Oh _very_ mature, Arthur, you've got all the qualities of a King. How could anyone say different?" Merlin said teasingly, from the door to the King's rooms. _Technically,_ he had deserved it for challenging Arthur's ability in accuracy with a flying object, but only because he'd spent the afternoon mocking Merlin for having absolutely none.

"You'd better thank your lucky stars that I need you for the feast later today or you'd be spending all of the afternoon in the stocks!"

"How gracious of you sire, I shall be sure to show you my gratitude!" Merlin gave a low bow, and swore he could see Arthur's mouth twitch involuntarily at the gesture. Then he saw Arthur reach for the platter that held the remnants of the Kings lunch and made a mad dash for the door, almost knocking down Gwen in the process.

He ducked low, grabbing Gwen and shielding her from the spatter of leftover mashed potato. She let out a surprised yelp, and Arthur hastily got up from his seat at the table, realizing that his Queen was in the room.

"Gwenivere!"

"Arthur! What's going on?" Merlin stepped back into the proper distance he was supposed to keep, allowing Gwenivere to shake off the bits of potato that had landed in her curly, dark hair.

"I'm, uh, I was just teaching Merlin a lesson in...target practice." Arthur shrugged sitting back down, now putting a foot on the table. Merlin shared an exasperated look with Gwenivere before bowing and retreating from the room. He grimaced as he picked off the lumps of softened potato on his tunic.

The entire castle around him was alight with activity, at any given moment there people running to and fro carrying bolts of fabric or large baskets of flowers to decorate the halls. Apparently there was a visiting dignitary coming to the feast tonight, and for whatever reason, it was a very important that they make the best possible impression, since this was Gwenivere's first experience at hosting a foreign party at the castle as Queen.

Situations like these would be more frequent, Merlin supposed, since all the neighboring Kingdoms had most definitely heard that Arthur had married a servant girl and were curious what kind of woman had managed to so spectacularly rise through the ranks. Especially when Princess Mithian had willingly offered her hand in marriage to him, and it would have made Camelot invincible had he accepted the proposal.

It made Merlin all the more wary, since the increased flow of people into the castle made it all the more difficult for him to keep tabs on who was in the castle's borders. He couldn't very well keep an eye on those around Arthur if he didn't know who anyone was. He sighed, hanging his head, this meant that he would be spending a significant amount of time in the castle archives, studying both magic to keep Arthur safe, and information on the people that were set to visit the castle in the upcoming days.

* * *

It was sometime, late in the evening, right before the sunset on the horizon, that the bell rung out from the highest point on Camelot's castle, signifying the sighting of their imperial visitor's travelling party approaching. Almost instantly, the castle sprung into an even bigger flurry of movement, knowing that the party would be here in little over an hour.

Merlin found himself constantly being bumped around as maids ran frantically around, hanging the last of their flowers and servant boys carried large ice sculptures into the main Great Hall, where the reception was to take place. Merlin himself, at Arthur's humble request (read: order) was in his finest attire as King Arthur's personal Manservant. (He capitalized his own title in his head as he thought of Arthur's emphasis on the word whilst explaining the importance of Merlin wearing the ridiculous hat with the giant plume of red feathers on the top). In addition, he was wearing a tunic of a rust iron red, and black tights, the entire ensemble looking all the more absurd in the fact that he was the only manservant wearing the farcical ensemble.

The raven haired warlock tried to stay mostly out of the way of the others bustling about in the hallways and rooms, as he made his way to the King's chambers. The flowers, marigolds of a brilliant gold, yellow, adorned every doorway and window on his way up to the second floor, while ribbons hung from every window sill that he passed. Merlin shook his head, an amused smile on his lips. The maids had certainly outdone themselves today.

When he entered the room, he found Arthur quickly hopping out of the bath that George had drawn for him. Merlin wrinkled his nose at the sight of the abnormally eloquent manservant, the man leveling Merlin with his constant look of quiet appraisal. Arthur was right, it simply wasn't normal for a man like George to exist. The was no one who could say 'Sire' in a more respectful tone, and yet have it sound like the most aggravating thing to hear. The servant bowed to the King as he took his leave, carrying the various bath oils and fragrant soaps with him as he left the rooms.

"Merlin where _have_ you been? Surely helping Gaius mix the headache draughts couldn't possibly have taken that long?" Merlin scoffed, while opening the door to Arthur's armoire, and grabbing the clothes that Arthur kept for formal occasions. He bowed to Guinevere as she left the chambers, dressed regally and warmly, returning her mirthful smile at Arthur's panicked running around, a pair of breeches hanging low on his hips.

"Well, you try cooking a cauldron full of that potion, enough for every person in Camelot and see if you don't find yourself a little late." He quickly ran to Arthur and tugged the maroon tunic over his head and down his chest, before tying the thick, luxurious cape around his neck, resting comfortably on his shoulders.

"In any case, Princess Maeve's riding party has been sighted, but that was over half an hour ago now, she's probably entering the front gates of the city right now." Arthur rolled his eyes as Merlin fumbled with the pendant that was supposed to hang at his neck.

"Give me that. How can you be so awful at your job when you've had it for over 4 years." Merlin 'accidentally' shoved the King as he knelt to tie the laces for his shoes. He huffed as he pushed back an errant feather from his hat away from his face for the fourth time.

"Maybe because you never want anything the same way twice, Sire?"

"Merlin, what have we said about you talking back?"

"Don't?"

"Exactly."

They quickly exited the room, hurrying down the stairs from Arthur's chamber to the front steps of the castle. Gwenivere met up with them as they approached, matching Arthur's stride, her red cape billowing behind her and making her look even more like the Queenly figure she was, in her deep violet gown that sported sparse touches of gold and a large brooch pinning her cape over her left shoulder, just above her breast.

The company of the arriving Queen rode up to the castle steps, a large carriage of regal mahogany woods, deep cherry brown in color with doors gilded in gold. At the front four magnificent white horses pulled her coach, while a man of a rather stern nature acted as her driver. Another man jumped quietly off the back and positively glided to the doors, opening them for his Queen to exit.

And what an exit it was.

Queen Maeve, the only name that Arthur had given Merlin when informing him of her impending arrival, was supposed to have been the ruler of a nation across the ocean at the far western side of their Kingdom. Her parents had died suddenly, four years ago, in an attempt by mercenaries to take over the Kingdom. While their daughter had survived, the King and Queen had not been so lucky, dying in combat when their daughters life had been threatened. Since then, Maeve had worked tirelessly to prove herself a competent ruler in wake of her parents death. She had needed to be so desperately what her Kingdom required otherwise she would risk the entire dominion being torn apart by civil war as other factions vied for their chance at the throne. Arthur had said she was known for her genial nature, fair yet firm in her ways as ruler.

She was every bit as exotic as Merlin had pictured her to be, from Arthur's description. She had the most fiery red hair, the color of which reminded him of the sun in the early dawn hours, a brilliant burnt orange that reached to just below her shoulders. On her head, Queen Maeve wore a thin circlet of gold, with a green gem in the center, the single indication of her station. She had similarly piercing green eyes that seemed sharp and observant, Merlin noted, as The King stepped forward to offer his hand in assistance as she stepped off the carriage.

"Queen Maeve, it is our privilege to be your hosts." Arthur held her hand as she stepped off. "I am King Arthur, and this," he turned to motion to Gwen, "is my Queen, Gwenivere." Gwenivere curtsied, keeping eye contact confidently with the gentle looking woman, who stood in front of them, surveying her surroundings.

"Hello, Arthur Pendragon. It seems we both meet at last, as Kings and Queens instead of Prince and Princesses of our youth." She said, her voice wasn't exactly loud, but it carried with it the potential of her rumored boisterous nature, a staple apparently for those in her part of the world.

"So it would seem, Maeve." She inclined her head, showing Arthur that she did not mind his use of her first name.

"Queen Maeve, we have organized a ball in your honor, we would be most obliged if you would grace us with your presence at the event." Gwenivere spoke to the red haired woman, smiling warmly.

"I shall need to freshen up, of course."

"Of course, Merlin." Arthur called Merlin forward with a crook of his finger. He resisted the urge snap something at him and stepped up, the picture of subservience.

"Yes, Sire."

"Please escort Queen Maeve and those in her party to their rooms in the West wing." Here he turned to the Queen. "I hope to see you in the Great Hall as soon as you've rested and refreshed."

He then gestured for the group to pass him up to the castle. Merlin bounded in front, knowing just how ridiculous he looked. Once he reached the chambers that had been set aside for her, he opened the door, allowing her to peer inside. It was mammoth, in size, probably triple the size of Gaius's quarter's (including Merlin's room) and yet still smaller than room of the King and Queen of Camelot.

It was dressed in the deep red of Camelot, the large emblem of the lion embroidered onto the draperies that adorned the walls. Maeve entered with her ladies in waiting and another forbidding woman, who Merlin realized hadn't been introduced earlier. She too wore a circlet, though it was miniscule, compared to the Queen and Merlin realized that another member of the royal family had joined her in her trip.

"Thank you...?" She trailed off as she addressed him, an eyebrow arched and Merlin belatedly realized that she was waiting for him to offer his name.

"Oh, Merlin, your Majesty."

"Thank you, Merlin, please tell King Arthur that I shall be along shortly." With that one of her serene looking lady's – in –waiting closed the door in his face.

Merlin stared perplexedly at the dark slab of wood that made up the door to the room. Why did he feel like he'd just been interviewed?

* * *

Half an hour later, Merlin stood with Arthur at the doors to the Great Hall, Gwenivere having been inside already.

"Pffft, Merlin, get that blasted feather out of my face before I rip it off your head." Merlin sniggered, self satisfied at his annoyance.

"I'm sorry. You did tell me to wear it." Arthur made a face, waiting for the doorman to give him the all clear.

"And now I'm telling you to keep the infernal thing in check."

"Yes, King Dollophead, Your Highness." Merlin bowed low, mocking.

Arthur shoved Merlin unceremoniously to the side, pushing him half out the ground floor gallery, leaving Merlin in danger of sullying his clothes in the dirt underneath, and the decorations that fell from his collision with the wall falling around him.

They walked inside, to great fanfare, a court member calling out their arrival for all to see. Moments later, Queen Maeve entered, her ladies behind her and the stern looking woman with the graying hair faithfully at her side. Merlin stood at attention in the line of manservants lined up at the entrance of the hall, he stuck out like a sore thumb, being the only one having to wear the feathery uniform, much to Arthur's ill concealed glee. Even Gwenivere was having a hard time covering her apologetic laughter as she looked at him from the high table.

As she passed, Maeve paused in her footsteps, turning slowly to look at Merlin. He looked blankly at her for a moment, before she reached over, leisurely plucking a marigold that had most likely fallen into the hat he was wearing and tucking it in her hair, behind her ear. The yellow of the plush flower making her peachy skin stand out even more and her lips curving into a soft smile.

"Evening, Merlin." She said cheerfully, and moved on. Merlin didn't miss the thorough look her companion gave him. Across the room, Gwaine raised his gobet in a toast to Merlin, giving him a salacious smile at his interaction with the Queen. Merlin quickly schooled his expression into an appropriate one.

Arthur glared at him, as if to say 'can't you behave more like an actual manservant'. Merlin sighed.

It was going to be a looong night.

* * *

The next morning saw Merlin running around in the kitchen, being tasked to help the kitchen staff in preparing the gargantuan breakfast buffet for the guests, as was Camelot custom. It was a grand affair, full of sumptuous fruits, breads and other plentiful spreads.

Later that afternoon, Arthur was scheduled to meet with Queen Maeve in the gardens of Camelot, a large section of colored flowers and fountains. Of course, the men in the council room had completely taken over his attention, as well as that of Gwenivere's and he'd sent Merlin ahead to find the fair royal in the gardens to inform her he would be there momentarily.

Merlin stopped en route to the gardens to pop into the kitchens, sneaking around the Cook, to grab a few fresh rolls and fruit to function as a snack.

When he found her in the garden, Maeve was sitting in the shade of a towering weeping willow, feeding crumbs to a pair of doves that had flown out from the Royal Aviary. She wore a white gown, with a deep, round neckline, the huge bell sleeves reaching her elbows, and descending almost to the grassy floor. She also had a deep purple ribbon around her waist, emphasizing the petite silhouette of her abdomen. As he approached, the crunching of the vegetation underfoot alerted her to his presence. She turned her green eyes on him and smiled.

"Ah, Merlin. Good morning. What brings you to the gardens? I take it that the King is being held up by the those boring relics in the council room?"

Merlin set the tray down next to her on the bench and hid his smile behind his polite one.

"He is going to be a tad late because of it, your Majesty." She waved away his apologetic tone.

"Nevermind that, Arthur will join us when he whenever he chooses." She picked up a strawberry in the tray and popped it into her mouth, picking up the accompanying roll and tearing it to shreds for the birds, setting the pile at her feet.

"Tell me, Merlin." She picked up another strawberry and offered it to Merlin who was in the process of spreading the bread pieces at her feet around. She held the crimson fruit to his lips, Merlin froze, stunned at the action. "How long have you worked for Arthur at the castle?"

"Oh, my apologies. I seem to have made you uncomfortable, where I come from, such practices are the norm." She started to pull her hand back, making Merlin shake himself out of his stupor, scolding himself for making the Queen self conscious of her behavior.

"No, no. I'm the one who should be apologizing. I was just startled that's all, I didn't mean to refuse your offer." He softly grasped her hand, the one that held the strawberry and ate it, some part of his that wasn't preoccupied with his royal duties as the King's manservant, was doing screams of panic at the highly intimate conduct between them, especially since they were nowhere near the same station in society.

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Gwenivere's lady-in-waiting passing by, carrying a tray of tea and fruits. She happened to look his way, whilst he was in the middle of holding Queen Maeve's hand, and her eyes widened comically, scandalized. He saw her walk away, her measured steps turning into rapid scurrying. Annabelle never ran, and her doing so was going to have half the castle whispering about its cause in less than an hour.

He sighed minutely, chewing the strawberry and getting up from his kneeling position at her feet. She seemed to forget the uncomfortableness of a moment ago and leaned back, relaxing in the cool summer breeze that murmured through the flora around them.

"I've worked for Arthur close to 4 years now." He answered her previous question and she looked at him, her red hair curling around her in the wind.

"I see, and you started working for him when you were..?"

"17, Your Highness."

"That makes you 21, older than I am." Merlin looked at the young monarch in surprise. The maturity in her face would have easily let him believe that she was at least 24 or 25.

"Well, you look marvelously wise for your young age." He bit his tongue, that might have sounded too familiar, even if this was a woman that didn't seem to function by the usual rules of propriety.

"And how do you like it? Being Arthur's servant, I mean?"

"Sorry?" There was an underlying question in there and Merlin refused to answer it when he didn't know what she was asking him. She nodded approvingly at him.

"Very good, you're not some kind of loose lipped guppy." He gaped at her. She seemed to be excelling in confounding him at every turn. Every time he thought he had her figured out, she changed on him again. And if the merriment in her eyes was anything to go by, she knew it.

"What I want to know is, is he a good man, your King." Merlin inclined his head in affirmation.

"Yes. He's fair and just." Maeve didn't look entirely convinced.

"Oh really? The fairest and most just of all? No faults at all?"

"Oh he has faults. He never picks up after himself, he's always throwing things at me, and he's a nightmare to wake up in the morning. But as a King, he's as just and kind as it gets."

Maeve looked surprised for a brief moment at the slew of insults that Merlin had casually said to her, staring inscrutably at him. Then, she threw her head back and laughed, a heartfelt sound that was full and deep. When she calmed down, she stood up, dusting the seat of her dress, before turning to wave Merlin on to follow her.

"Come on, why don't we give your 'fair and just' King something more entertaining to do than listen to his councilmen complain endlessly.

Merlin had no choice but to follow her lean figure into the Castle.

* * *

Merlin saw the look of surprise on Arthur's face when the doors to the council room (really just the great hall) swung open to reveal Queen Maeve's silhouette. Gwenivere sat up straight on her throne next to Arthur, as the councilmen were laying their case out in front of them. Merlin entered from the servant's entrances, near the throne, at Maeve's request. ("I don't want you getting chewed out for me barging in") , though Arthur's expression told him he was getting told off anyway.

"Queen Maeve!" Arthur was flustered at her sudden appearance in his court sans any court members of her own. "What brings you – I thought I sent word that – what can I do for you?" He seemed to have put on his diplomatic face though being flummoxed at first. Merlin noticed for the first time that all the Knights were at this meeting as well, Gwaine, Leon, Percival, Lancelot and Elyan. They all glanced among themselves, watching the goings on with interest.

"What if I were tell you I had a proposal for you?" Arthur exchanged a glance with Leon, not having seen Merlin yet at his regular post near the door.

"I would say that I would be interested in hearing the proposal, particularly in how it would be beneficial for us?"

"Well, considering it concerns the trade laws between Camelot and my Kingdom of Caledonia, I would say it would be most advantageous." Arthur leaned forward, steepling his fingers under his nose, pressing the length of his hands against his mouth.

"Oh? I'm listening."

"As you know, I am currently an unmarried woman on the throne of Caledonia, the foremost argument that the lesser lords in my Kingdom have is that I am unwed, as if that makes my hold on the throne any less valid." She looked wholly unimpressed by the counterargument.

"Well, if it's a suitor that you are searching for, there aren't currently any in residence at Camelot, but the sons of a few lords of Camelot are of marriagea-" Maeve raised her hand in to stop Gwenivere mid-sentence. She cut off, confused at the redhead's knowing smile.

"Thank you Gwenivere, but I have already found a suitor at Camelot."

"But -" Arthur began, bewildered at her declaration when Gwenhad just told her there were none to be found. Gwaine finally spotted Merlin, giving him a small wave in greeting, miming a drink to tell him he wanted to go drinking tonight. Merlin rolled his eyes at the ill timed gestures.

"In fact, I would like to extend a proposal of marriage to the gentlemen who wore this hat at last night's festivities."

"Merlin?" Gwaine's astonished voice drew attention as he turned around, from his post next to the King's throne to look at Merlin, seeing his equally dumbfounded expression. All at once, the rest of the people in the throne room turned to regard Merlin with incredulity.

Merlin gawked at the hat in her hand, a red monstrosity of feathers and a red band to hold it on the wearer's head.

 _His hat._


	2. Dinner

**Chapter 2** **: Dinner**

Arthur was trying very hard to restrain himself from physically throttling his manservant right then and there in the throne room. All he'd done was ask the fool to tell the Queen that he would be delayed by a few moments and somehow now Queen Maeve was telling him she wanted to marry the twit. He blinked at her, trying to conceal his incredulity at the proposition and leaned forwards, interlocking his fingers and bracing his elbows on his knees. Beside him, Gwenivere's eyes were wide as she tried understand the Queen's intentions.

"Can – May I just- just – just give me a minute all right? I need to have a word with Merlin." Maeve inclined her head regally, where she stood in the Great Hall, giving the manservant a five fingered wave to Merlin's chagrin. Merlin gulped at the ire in the King's voice, waving resignedly at Lancelot's half amused grin. Arthur stood from his throne and walked towards the door, not even pausing as he walked past, grabbing Merlin's collar as he went and yanking the stumbling out with him.

That left the room occupied with Maeve, the Lords with whom Arthur had been conferring, their servant and helpers, the Knights and Gwenivere. It was silent, and almost stifling though Maeve didn't indicate through her behavior that the blatant looks of curiosity and intrigue bothered her at all.

As they walked out of the hall, Arthur looked around for somewhere close by to talk to his friend in private, but seeing none immediately, he chose to duck into a "supply pantry" as the Head of Housekeeping referred to it as. A closet in which they would keep necessities to keep the castle clean close at hand. It was an efficient and one that was currently working in the King's favor.

He pulled Merlin in after him, the 5 slotted openings in the closet door allowed enough torch light into the pantry to see Merlin's face, contorting in disgust at the smell of the damp mops that permeated the air.

"Alright, out with it. What did you do?" Merlin blinked at him, confused before saying indignantly.

"Nothing!"

"Merlin."

"I swear! We talked for maybe half an hour and then she decided to come here. I told her you were busy but she wasn't listening. " He scowled at the memory, feeling annoyed at the mess the woman had put him in. "She does that a lot, come to think of it."

"Do you know her?" Merlin gave him the sort of look, that if he weren't already accustomed to the manservant's attitude, would have put him in the stocks. It was a look that suggested the King was an idiot for even venturing to think in that direction. The door to the closet suddenly opened, and a young maid let out a short lived shriek upon seeing the unlikely sight of the two men glaring at each other in the small alcove but quickly contained herself, curtseying for the King.

"Sire. Merlin."

"Ah. Yes." The King didn't look at her, acknowledging her presence with a hand while narrowing his eyes at his manservant. Merlin rolled his eyes and smiled warmly at her.

"What did you need, Liza?"

"Just the mop." Merlin wordlessly handed it over, and the accompanying bucket as well, inclining his head when Liza curtseyed again before she gently closed the door. Merlin turned back to the conversation at hand, after all, Arthur was still leveling a fairly strong look him. He sighed.

"Where on earth would I have made Her Highness the Queen of Caledonia's acquaintance? I don't exactly get a lot of days off you know."

"Is that a complaint?"

"Well it's not a compliment." As always the retorts were returned in record time. Arthur thumped him in the head with his palm for his audacity, ignoring the servant's yelp.

"For the love of – can you for once just focus? There is a Queen in there - " Arthur pointed in the direction of the Hall, " - asking me for your hand in marriage Merlin! Do you have any idea what kind of position this puts me in?" Merlin shook his head. He didn't actually, as far as he knew, something like this had never occurred before, thus there was no previous protocol to follow, Arthur was completely on his own here. Merlin flailed his arms in equal frustration as Arthur, in sort of a beseeching gesture.

"Look, I don't know what you want me to say. She decided this on her own, do I look like the kind of person that would even think about proposing to her?" Arthur was stumped on that admission. Try as he might, he couldn't actually see Merlin trying to convince the Queen to marry him, not to mention that he didn't exactly have much to offer in terms of the marriage agreement. Arthur was quick to remind himself that he wasn't insulting his manservant, it was simply the truth, Merlin was a servant with limited pay, the majority which he sent off to Ealdor to support his mother. In any case, no legitimate Kingdom was going to accept Merlin as a suitor to Queen Maeve.

Arthur pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration and opened to the door to the closet, motioning Merlin to follow him. They had to return to the Hall now, he couldn't keep her waiting for that long, lest he be seen as inconsiderate. He and his manservant didn't speak on the way back, save for Arthur's last sentence before he pulled the door open.

"Why is it that you always manage to get yourself into these kinds of messes?" All he received in response was a shrug from Merlin. He sighed in defeat and pushed the doors open, adopting his Kingly persona again. Merlin went to assume his position near the back wall, and the King reclaimed his seat next to his wife. Queen Maeve, who had been chatting spiritedly with Gwaine, went silent, striding to the center of the hall again.

Arthur took a few moments before he spoke, weighing his words carefully.

"Mae - Queen Maeve, you realize of course, that the man you're talking about is a servant? My manservant to be exact." The Queen didn't answer to the frankly condescending tone with which Arthur was telling her of Merlin's social status, his personal status as the King's closest friend aside. She made eye contact with Merlin who was still rooted to his spot beside the servant's exit doors on the left side of the Thrones. She walked toward the table the King, his Knights and the Lords of outlying villages, sat at and made herself comfortable, sitting directly across from him. She held Arthur's gaze steadily, the smile on her face full of mirth, enjoying the way she'd shaken up the young King's day.

"Of course I know who he is. I just spent the better part of the morning talking to him, after all. Charming fellow." She waved her hand at him again, a coy gesture that nearly made the manservant choke. Arthur sighed, holding up his hand, and shaking his hand.

"No, you misunderstand my point. I'm not trying to tell you he – I'm - It's just, there's – well, there's not much that he can offer you in a marriage." Arthur cut himself off as he realized the audience they had. He looked towards the Lords he'd been conferring with earlier.

"My good Lords, what say you all that we resume this chat in the evening. As you can see, there are some things to which I must attend." The older men looked disgruntled to be dismissed this easily but found there wasn't much that they could do, and so they filed out, taking with them their servants, and other assets. They allowed themselves to be lead out of the Great Hall, and led to other quarters by the servants beside Merlin. Soon the hall was empty save for Merlin, the Knights, Gwen, Arthur and Maeve.

"Queen Maeve, if I could just be frank?" Gwenivere took the momentary pause in the conversation between Arthur and Maeve to ask something herself. The Queen nodded, still seated at the table.

"Of course, and please, call me Maeve, I have no desire to keep that title between my peers." Gwenievere didn't quite understand what she meant but let it go in lieu of the bigger problem they were facing.

"Maeve, you must be aware that being wed to Merlin wouldn't exactly make your position concrete in Caledonia? Merlin isn't a royal, and he, as my husband has said, does not have any assets or political links to offer you."

"Arthur married you regardless of the consequences, did he not?" The Caledonian Queen said calmly, to which Gwenivere had no response.

"I know how this looks, but if I am going to marry, than I shall do so on my own terms, not those of the ancient relics that call themselves my advisors who are in actuality just vultures waiting for the slightest opportunity to attack me."

She crossed her arms over her chest and looked over at Merlin, who had been silent thus far, the goings on having completely flummoxed him.

"Sire, if I may?" Leon chose this moment to ask permission to speak, a nod from Arthur confirming it."Your Highness, in Camelot, there are certain customs to courtships, especially with connections to proposals between dignitaries of two Kingdoms."

"Merlin is not a member of the Royal Family as you all have so stringently emphasized - "

"By blood he's not, " Gwenivere said, looking at Merlin. "But in every other way, he is more than family."

Merlin gave her a faint smile in response, grateful for the sentiment but soon found himself paying more attention to Leon's appeal to the royals in the room.

"In any case, Merlin being a member of the Pendragon family - unofficially - " Leon continued, "there are specific rules that we follow when a Pendragon is courted by another nation."

"Well, I wouldn't dream of infringing on your customs." Leon walked over to Merlin, grabbing him by the elbow and steering him purposefully to center of the room, in front of the Thrones where the King and Queen sat.

"We cannot just dismiss the idea of a marital alliance with Caledonia, and seeing as your Highness seems to be interested only in Merlin, we have come to a crossroads. Merlin cannot be ordered to marry you of course, should he wish not to."

Maeve's expression soured somewhat at that, but Leon ignored it and Merlin could see that it seemed to only fuel Maeve's interesting penchant to behave entirely contrary to what was expected of her.

"Well then Merlin. I am formally offering my hand in marriage to you and should you accept, I propose that we wed in the next month." Merlin sputtered in surprise, everytime she talked to him and

"That soon?" Arthur sat up straight, looking at Maeve in shock. She turned her attention from Merlin to him again and addressed him with the same regal manner. It boggled Merlin's mind, Maeve jumped from eloquent and elegance to coy and flirtatious in a matter of seconds and it was wreaking havoc with his perception of her.

"Well, I am only here for the better part of two months, Arthur, any longer than that and I can gaurentee there will be another civil war in an attempt to dethrone me."

Arthur's mind was racing, weighing all of his options, he couldn't afford to refuse right away, but nor could he single handedly delegate such decisions of Merlin's private life either. He was stuck on what to do and a single glance towards Gwenivere told him she understood what he was thinking.

"What if - " Gwaine interjected into the momentary quiet that had taken over post Maeve's last words. They all focused on him, as he spoke. "What if there was an engagement period?"

"Engagement period?" Arthur repeated dubiously, as Maeve's eyes brightened at that.

"Yes. When my father married my mother, there was an engagement period of a year where the decided whether or not they were compatible to be wed."

Of all the ideas proposed that day, it seemed to be the more viable of them all. SO for the next hour, the specifics of the engagement period had been ironed out and fixed, so by the time they walked out of the Great Hall to have a meal, afternoon had turned into evening. Merlin had gone from a single man to a betrothed one.

Arthur had instructed him to send for his mother and Maeve had only winked in his direction, giving making him stumble. She was beautiful that was indisputable but beyond that it was clear that whatever she was after in trying to wed Merlin extended beyond just simple infatuation.

As they exited the Great Hall, a servant of Maeve's suggested she freshen up to which Maeve agreed and before Merlin could do or say anything, she leaned over to land a kiss on his cheek.

"Until dinner then, my betrothed."


	3. In Bed

A/n: Hello, chapter 3! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter and please please PLEASE read and REVIEW. It would mean the world to me :) Also check out my other works :)

 **Chapter 3: In Bed**

There was bafflement and then there was bafflement. Merlin couldn't understand for the life of him why his life had taken this bizarre turn in the last few hours. This morning he'd been a single man living as a manservant to the King of Camelot, and he liked it, damn it. Now he was bloody engaged to a woman who he couldn't figure out no matter how he tried. She was running circles around him, it wasn't like he couldn't see that. The problem was in discovering why she was doing it.

Merlin knew he'd developed somewhat of a reputation in the last few years regarding his service to the King (read:his undying loyalty) it was perhaps the only thing he thought might make him stand out to the noble class, but even still that was a stretch.

There was a reason Maeve was adamant on proposing to him and only him, (he wasn't being big-headed about it, it was an honest observation), he just couldn't understand what she would gain in having him for a husband. Even so, Merlin was troubled as he walked down to his chambers in the physician's quarters. He worried at his lip, thinking over the events of the day. It seemed that the majority of the castle was busy preparing for dinner, which meant that most of the action was also concentrated in the main parts of the castle, leaving the rest of it deserted.

Merlin could hear Gaius fumbling around in his quarters as he approached, the man's sure, slow, footsteps reassuring Merlin after the complete fiasco that had been this morning. He paused outside the wooden door, looking back down the hallway, knowing that at the other end of the castle was a queen who was for some reason intent on marrying him.

A Queen.

This was going to end catastrophically for all involved, of that Merlin was sure.

* * *

"Ah Merlin. Where have you been? I thought Arthur only needed you for the menial tasks today. That was two hours ago." Gaius didn't look up from the flasks he was watching when the young man entered the physician's rooms. It didn't bother Gaius that Merlin wasn't talking, it happened often, with him getting lost in his odd little head. No doubt there was a troublesome new foe that Merlin had been alerted to. Seemed there were many of them of late and they all appeared to want Camelot's King dead and by proxy, Merlin as well.

The boy did have his hands full, all things considering, which was precisely why Gaius thought it was prudent for the sorcerer to learn to be a physician. After all one needed something to distract them, didn't they? And if it happened to help Gaius, well then, that was just a bonus, wasn't it?

"I'm engaged."

Gaius nearly dropped the flask of distilled sage, singe-ing his fingers on the hot glass. Blowing on his fingers, he glanced at the black haired man sat staring pensively at the wooden table. When Merlin didn't elaborate, he peered at him over the rims of his glasses.

"I must be going senile or deaf because I believe I just heard you say that you are engaged."

The boy nodded, chewing on his bottom lip, something that Gaius had told him numerous times to stop doing.

"I am." Gaius extinguished the flame on his workbench and sat down across the table from Merlin, taking in his appearance. There was worry, an odd expression for an engaged man to be sporting, and then there was curiosity, both emotions seemed to be warring for dominance in Merlin's mind.

"Merlin, now would be the time to tell me if you've gone and hit your head on the way back here or might you be persuaded to enlighten this poor old man with whatever mess you've gone and gotten yourself into? You must realize that in order to be engaged, another party must be involved? "

The words appeared to have struck a chord in Merlin, because he was suddenly looking at Gaius, expression both affronted and frustrated.

"Of course I know that! I haven't done anything!" Merlin snapped, even more irritated by Gaius's calm demeanor. "All I did was deliver a few midday snacks to her Highness, the bloody Queen of Caledonia. How the hell was I supposed to know that she'd sodding propose to me, ME," here, Merlin waved his arms around his face for emphasis, "in front of the entire damn COURT?!" Merlin finished out of breath, his explanation having turned into a raging yell by the end.

"Am I to understand," Gaius took his glasses off and set them on the table, looking at Merlin incredulously. "that you're engaged to Queen Maeve?" The emphasis on the name made Merlin even more annoyed, feeling like he was being treated as if he were a madman with an unhealthy fixation on the Royal.

"I haven't gone mad, though I feel like I might soon, Gaius, it's the honest truth! As crazy as it may be." Merlin muttered, carding his fingers through his hair angrily, making it stick out. "This is ridiculous! And they're all acting like it's a perfectly okay thing to do!" He gestured wildly in the general direction of the palace, and Gaius assumed he was referring to the Knights and his King.

Gaius massaged his temples with his fingers. His simple day had gotten infinitely more complicated. If he were truly engaged to Maeve, then there were a multitude of things that needed to be done and none of them affordable on the wages they earned.

"I suppose you've been told to send word to Hunith?" He asked as he got up from the table, rummaging through his bookshelf to find his ledger. It wasn't much, but he should be able to help Merlin in some way.

"You can't be serious?" Merlin got up from the table, looking at Gaius like he'd lost his mind. Gaius glanced at him briefly between moving books around.

"Doesn't something about this strike you as odd?" Gaius scoffed.

"Odd? Of course it does. A newly crowned Queen has come to Camelot asking for hand of a manservant in marriage. And not just any manservant, King Arthur's manservant." He opened a book, peered inside and then shut it again, tossing it over his shoulder. "I'd say it's very odd. All the more reason to play along and find out what the woman is plotting."

That stopped Merlin short. He hadn't thought of that, and now that he considered it, it seemed a very good idea. Clearly there was an underlying objective in this relationship, what better way to discover it than to outwit the Queen at her own game? It stood to be the way in which he was least likely to get caught. Still, there were other factors to consider.

"Even if I did go along with it, what happens if I actually end up married to her? " Gaius snorted at the absurdity of the statement.

"Then I suppose you'll just have to do your very best in ruling Caledonia, Sire." Gaius gave Merlin a half bow in mock deference. Merlin rolled his eyes, now wasn't the best time for Gaius to suddenly acquire a sense of humor.

"I'm being serious here, what am I going to do if I actually marry her?"

"Nothing,"

Merlin gaped at him and the physician sighed, tossing another useless book over his shoulder and continued.

"Look, we both know that Arthur can't refuse Maeve on something like this. It could be the equivalent of starting a war."

"Arthur rejected Mithian!"

"Yes and he did so while he was King, not a manservant. An yet war was a very real possibility, Merlin. Don't forget that that woman, precarious as it may be, is currently at the top of the hierarchy. She's level with Arthur and if she wants you heaven help us, she will have what she wants. You don't actually have a choice here."

Merlin sat down heavily at those words. While he knew them to be true, it was jarring to hear them spoken aloud and so frankly at that. No choice.

That was new and yet, somehow familiar. Still, the idea that he could married to a woman he barely knew and one who definitely had an ulterior goal here, made Merlin quite uneasy.

"I just can't understand how - "

Merlin never got to finish the sentence because Gwaine chose that moment to come waltzing through the doors, carrying a giant sack of fabrics and boxes. He let it down noisily on the table, groaning and stretching his shoulders.

"How's my favorite groom then?" He said cheerfully, sitting down at the table Merlin was at and slinging an arm around Merlin shoulders, and shaking him once for good measure. Gaius chuckled and Merlin just sighed, too tired to object and buried his face in his hands. Gwaine looked back and forth between the two.

"What? What'd I say?"

* * *

That evening found Merlin seated uncomfortably with Arthur, Gwenivere, Maeve and her as of yet unintroduced female companion at the dinner table in the Great Hall. It was suffocating in the silence, despite Gwenivere's attempts at conversation. Thankfully, Merlin was seated opposite from Maeve, at the table, with the King and Queen at the head and everyone sitting down the length of the table. Maeve sat on Arthur's right and Merlin sat to Gwenivere's left.

At the very least she wasn't ogling him or making those odd waving gestures at him. In fact, she was acting decidedly more reserved than earlier. She had clearly gone up to change her clothes in the interim, since her earlier gown was now replaced by a more somber outfit. It was blue and white this time, the colors making sharp contrast with the fiery hue of her wild curls, within which sat her circlet that denoted her rank as Queen. She wasn't unpleasant to look at, Merlin decided, but then, her appearance was hardly a concern here, was it? The concern was in discovering the true intentions, though he was still out of ideas on how to go about investigating that.

"So, Merlin, I take it you've sent word to your mother about today's decision?" Arthur asked him, as the servants placed the dishes in front of them. He wasn't missing the disbelieving looks they were sending him, Merlin was sure that though the news was likely to have spread like wildfire, it was still hard to actually believe. He tried to resist the urge to groan, after this whole thing was over and everything went back to normal (what the hell was normal again?), he was going to have explain this to everyone over and over again. About the time he almost became King.

The warlock awkwardly shifted in his seat, feeling like a tarted up turkey before slaughter in the new, more presentable garments that he'd been ordered to wear for the dinner. It was uncomfortable and wholly unnecessary, as he'd tried to explain to Gwaine when he'd delievered them to Gaius's quarters, but Gwaine just shrugged saying

"It's his Royal Prattiness's orders. Take it up with him." Merlin nodded at Arthur's question, feeling his freshly dried hair swish as he made the movement.

"Yes Ar – Yes Sire." He hastily corrected himself seeing Arthur wince and the severe faced woman sitting next to Maeve frown in response to his slip. "As long as it reaches her by tomorrow morning, then she should be here by the day after."

"And have you informed her of the things she'll need to bring?" Gwenivere inquired, sending him a comforting smile, reminding him that she'd once been in his shoes, though in far more different circumstances.

"Uh, yes. I have." Merlin took a sip of the carrot soup in the bowl that had been set before him to wet his parched throat. He was so nervous he thought he might faint. The letter had been full of instructions and promises not to worry, just to bring his amber collection and his late father's belongings, particularly, the old carving knife he'd left behind. Before he'd realized he'd written a letter numbering 7 pages of rambling nonsense, but by then the messenger had arrived and Merlin had been forced to give it to him, praying his mother didn't overreact and think he was being cornered into a trap or something.

"I sent a list -" Merlin suddenly sputtered, choking on the spoonful he'd just swallowed. He pounded his chest, not daring to look at the woman directly across from him. Was that her foot sliding up his leg? He fought to keep his expression neutral.

"Are you alright Merlin?" Arthur looked at him strangely, eyes flicking over his manservant's face.

"Just fine, your Highness. Swallowed incorrectly." Merlin inclined his head, only now hazarding a look at Maeve. Her face was just as blank as his was, despite the fact that her slipper clad feet were carving a sensitive path up his calf. You'd think she was paying attention to the things that Arthur was saying, instead of fooling around under the table. Merlin pressed his palms to his eyes, willing the heavens to have some mercy on his poor tortured soul. Facing Morgana was less scary than this was.

This woman is going to be the death of me.

* * *

"Alright. We have a lot of ground to cover and not a lot of time to do it, Merlin so pay attention."

Merlin stood in Arthur's bedroom, filling the washtub with hot water for the King's bath, while the man himself waited for Merlin to disrobe him.

"You know, you could try to take your own clothes off. It's not like you don't have hands." Arthur grinned at him

"And force myself to do such menial tasks when you're here? Where's the fun in that, Merlin?" Merlin grumbled something that sounded suspiciously like 'stubborn arse', so Arthur thumped him on the head as the manservant reached for his collar.

"Ouch!" He held his smarting forehead, glaring at the man. "Oi, what the hell was that for?"

"For not remembering your place. Now, pay attention Merlin. You get anyone of these wrong and you just might start a war and make no mistake, if you do, I'll be taking the reparations from your wages."

"Hey!"

"Fair is fair Merlin."

"You and I have very different understandings of the word 'fair' Sire."

Another thump on the head followed that sentence as Merlin bent to unlace the King's shoes.

"Listen for once. Starting now, you've got to get the wedding deposit ready." Merlin nearly dropped the shoes into the water, hearing that.

"D-deposit? I thought only nobles had to do that? Where in the name of the Lord am I going to get enough for a deposit to marry a bloody Queen?" Arthur shrugged.

"I don't know, but make sure you have it before your mother arrives."

Merlin faltered, mind going a mile a minute. He wasn't to be paid for this last fortnight's services until 3 days after his mother would supposedly arrive, and even then, there would be no way he could amass the appropriate amount for marrying Maeve. Perhaps seeing the mounting panic on his face, Gwenivere decided to take pity on the poor manservant.

"Oh stop teasing him, Arthur. Look, he's gone white as a sheet, poor soul." Gwenivere tutted from her table where she sat, unwinding her hair from the chignon that it had been in today. She let out a sigh of relief when the long tresses fell loose from their confines, massaging the roots with her fingers.

"I can't help it, he makes it so much fun." Merlin scowled at Arthur's response, retaliating by scrubbing particularly hard along Arthur's armpits with the washcloth, and relishing the King's yelp of pain.

"Ouch!"

"Apologies Sire. There was a rather stubborn area of dirt." Merlin smiled blithely in the face of Arthur's suspicion. After a moment of glaring at his manservant, Arthur continued.

"Of course I was pulling your leg, Merlin. Obviously, there is no way you would be able to come up with the money to this wedding, which is why I will be paying for it. Make no mistake, Merlin, if you mess up, you're going to paying for by scrubbing my floors with the tiniest broom you've ever seen in your life." Here, he jabbed a finger threateningly in Merlin's chest, an intimidating gesture slightly undermined by the fact that Arthur was stark naked and standing in a wooden tub of water. Merlin however, wisely kept his mouth shut and nodded. There were times when one needled Arthur Pendragon, now was not one of them.

"Okay?" Arthur stepped out of the tub after the final wash, sending Merlin a quizzical glance, after which he locked gazes with his wife. Clearly it wasn't the response he'd been expecting from his manservant. Instead of the usually happy appearance of betrothed men, the lanky youth seemed pensive, for all intents and purposes lost to his own thoughts.

"Problem, Merlin?" At that, Merlin snapped to attention, shaking his head so fast Arthur feared he would injure himself.

"No, no of course not."

There was a scoff from Gwenievere's direction and soon she was standing in front of Merlin, taking the wash pail from his hands and setting them down on the floor. She led him to the chair Arthur sat in when making documents and held his hands.

"Merlin, are you alright?" She asked gently, rubbing soothing circles on the back of his hand with her thumb. Arthur hovered in the background, pretending to inspect his sleeves but peeking at Merlin through his peripheral vision.

"I'm fine, honestly." Gwenivere raised an eyebrow and Merlin swallowed hard.

"Alright, so maybe I'm feeling a tiny bit overwhelmed." Arthur scoffed, earning him a pointed look from his wife which he shrugged at.

"It's perfectly normal Merlin, after all, you're getting married, it's no small matter."

"Thank you." Merlin said dryly, not exactly the response he'd been hoping for. Gwenievere flushed, smacking him in the shoulder.

"You know what I mean. All I'm saying is that take time to work out these feelings, accept them. If there was a way we could reject her we would."

"Except for the fact that she's got a bunch senile men acting as her court and they'll force her to declare over the 'insult'" Arthur said this mockingly. "of our rejection to her proposal. Any other time, I'd risk it, but after Morgana's last coup, we just don't have the capacity to afford the possibility of war. It would be suicide. Suicide by war." Arthur sat down on his bed and faced Merlin with as honest a look as he'd seen, the last time being when Uther had died.

Merlin suddenly felt awkward, like he had been caught with his trousers down or something. He cleared his throat self-consciously and rolled his shoulders, standing up.

"Well, I'll just have to adjust I suppose, nothing else for it." Arthur nodded at him and cracked a smile, something he found more reassuring than the talk had been. "If

that's all, then I'll be retiring to my quarters."

Gwenivere gave him a hug while Arthur waved at him, dismissing him from his rooms and he took that as his cue to leave.

Fifteen minutes later found Merlin safely ensconced in his bed in the physician's rooms, staring at the dark ceiling overhead.

Fine then, let the pieces fall where they may, Merlin thought, feeling his eyes getting heavy with sleep, the room blinking out of focus. He would deal with whatever came his way, come tomorrow.

* * *

"Merlin, you complete idiot, wake up!" Merlin found himself jarred awake by Arthur's rough voice floating into his room from right outside his door. He blinked slowly, trying to orient himself. It was bright in his room, telling him that he'd somehow managed to sleep soundly, no nightmare and premonitions.

"Merlin!" The prat of a King was getting impatient Merlin could tell, he rolled over looking for his shoes as he called out to him.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming, just wait a darn – ho – whoa!" Merlin barely restrained himself from shrieking girllishly when he turned over in bed to find Maeve sitting on the other side, grinning down at him. He gathered the sheets around himself like a bashful girl, before realizing he was fully clothed.

"Wha -?" He sputtered as she smiled, waving her fingers at him.

"Morning Merlin!" She sounded completely cheerful and unaware of their predicament.

"Merlin?" Arthur's voice sounded closer now.

"What the bloody hell do you think you're doing?" The words left Merlin's mouth before he could stop them, his shock momentarily incapacitating his abilities to appear subservient. If anything, it made Maeve's smile grow wider.

"Hm?"

"Why are you in my room?!" He hissed at her, glancing around and seeing she'd clearly been there a while, if the amount of books she'd brought with her were any indication.

"To say good morning?" Maeve said it as if it were the most obvious thing. Merlin covered his face with his hands and breathed deeply, trying not to think of the already irate King outside his door. The King who would probably skin him alive if he saw this scene.

"Merlin." Yeah, definitely impatient.

"We're not married yet, Your Highness!" He told her, pressing his hands together, almost as if he were pleading with her.

"So?"Wide eyes, clearly not grasping the gravity of the moment.

"So?! So, if I'm found in here, with you, it's going to be very bad for me! I'm as good as living in the stocks for a month!" He fisted his hands in hair as Arthur's footsteps grew closer, frantic. Maeve was unpeturbed by the goings on.

"Why? We're betrothed, in Caledonia, it's normal for betrothed couples to wake each other up in the mornings or sleep together." Merlin pinched the bridge of his nose, and willed himself to calm down.

"This is not Caledonia, Your Highness!"

"Okay, are you alright? You're talking to yourself?" Arthur's voice was right outside this time and Merlin floundered, wondering what the blazes he was going to do to get out of this one.

"I'm – I'm fine! Just talking to myself."

"Hel -" Maeve raised her voice to greet the King and Merlin did the only thing he could think of. He slammed his hand over her mouth, the force of it knocking her onto her back, flat on Merlin's bed with him looming over her.

"Please, be quiet."

The suddeness of it shocked her into silence, her eyes going wide and her hands up next to her head with her hair spread over Merlin's bedsheets like a fiery halo. Merlin was momentarily stunned by the image.

"Alright, I'm coming in."

"Wait, don't come in, I'm not decent !" Any excuse at this point was worth that or he was going to be the subject of target practice for the townspeople.

"Decent or not, I am your King, and I don't really think you have a say in the matter, Merlin." The door pushed open and Merlin out ideas, threw the bed sheet over the Queen, and stripped his shirt off, shifting himself so he lay behind the woman in his bed. He bunched the sheets around his waist, in high piles to disguise the shape of another body and held his breath as the King's head poked in.

"Lords, Merlin." Merlin flashed him a tight smile as the King screwed up his face in revulsion. Merlin wondered at the severity of the reaction to his bare chest but shrugged it aside, at least the King's eyes were closed.

"Morning Sire." He said, while Arthur held out a hand, as if warding something away.

"You were right Merlin, you're not decent. I mean look at the state of your room, it's a disaster. I feel like I have to avert my eyes just to avoid blinding myself." Merlin scowled at the over exaggeration.

"It's not that bad." He sniffed, very conscious of the Queen between him and the King. The Queen who's warm breath he could feel on his hip, coming out in puffs.

"I beg to differ. Get your clothes on then." The King stared at Merlin and he belatedly realized the King had no intention of leaving Merlin alone to get dressed.

"I'm naked, Sire." Arthur blanched and shut the door as quick as lightning.

"Who sleeps in the nude? Especially when they're unmarried? Get your clothes on you dollop head. If you're late for breakfast with Queen Maeve and she gets angry at your tardiness, you're entirely on your own."

Merlin sighed, relieved that he was alone finally. Then Maeve sat up, the sheets falling away from her face, and her hair wonderfully mussed from lying down.

"Somehow I don't think that's going to be a problem," the manservant muttered, not believing the farce that had become his life.

"Did you say something?" Arthur called into the room.

"No, I'll be right out. Just have...to find my clothes." Merlin trailed off, as Maeve handed him a shirt from the pile next to his bed.

The Queen couldn't very well get angry at him for being late to breakfast, not when she was in bed with him.


	4. A Right Mess

**A/N: Hey guysssss. Guess who's baaaaaaaack. Hopefully I'll be able to update more regularly now. :) Please leave a review if you liked it 3**

 **Chapter 4: A Right Mess**

She was going to send him to an early grave, of that Merlin was certain. It wasn't even a couple hours past dawn and Merlin was dealing with a Queen that clearly lacked common sense and a King who was entirely too nosy for his good. It was novel, even for him, to be fearing for his life this early in the day, normally his enemies at least had the courtesy to wait until he'd had breakfast before trying to kill him.

Merlin, feeling his brain reduce itself to a withering mess, shrugged on the shirt that Maeve had handed him as she watched. He sighed, muttering a quick muffling spell under his breath, so that he could talk to his intruder without worrying about giving himself a heart attack from nervousness. When he met the Queen's eyes, he saw she was watching him curiously.

"Um?"

"Were you talking to yourself just now?" Merlin neatly sidestepped that particular question by deflecting, if she'd seen him muttering then clearly he needed to work on subtlety.

"I'm not sure what you're referring to your Highness, perhaps you heard some conversation from outside. We are after all above the marketplace." Merlin gestured to the open window as he sat on the bed, and ignored the fact that it was rather silent down below, and shoved his feet roughly into his well worn boots.

"Perhaps," The Queen agreed, though her expression remained thoughtful. Merlin closed his eyes, willing himself to think about this logically. He needed to problem solve. The situation was currently this: somehow the reigning monarch and his soon to be betrothed was in his chambers at a time where it was definitely inappropriate for her to be there. (Technically she shouldn't be in his room at all until , if, they got married. Outside his room was a very irate King who would probably lose his mind if he were to know who was sitting on Merlin's bed. He needed to find some way in which he could get the woman out without a) offending her and b) being seen kicking a Queen out of his quarters. Merlin could already see news of the scandal spreading around the Kingdom like wildfire.

His brow furrowed as he thought quickly, going over his last thought again.

"Your Highness," Merlin made an effort to keep his voice as genial as possible. He had yet to discover the things that irked the foreign Queen, and now was not a good time to accidentally step on a sore point. The last thing he needed was to start an inter-Kingdom incident.

Maeve stood, seeing that Merlin was entirely dressed, and dusted herself, looking none the worse for wear. She pushed one side of her long red hair behind her shoulder as she responded.

"Yes Merlin? Also, how many times must I tell you to call me Maeve. It sounds strange that my betrothed would address me in such a submissive manner." Merlin resisted the urge to tell her that she hadn't, actually, said anything of the kind but seeing as he had far more pressing issues to discuss, the sorcerer smiled, nodded and pursued his original train of thought.

"How, exactly, did you manage to make it into my quarters, this early in the morning unseen?" Maeve rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest, as if put out that this was Merlin's question. It struck him that she had seemed slightly eager when it sounded as if he were about to pose an inquiry.

"Well, Merlin, if one knows how to walk quietly, it is quite possible to arrive at one's location virtually undetected."

Merlin grabbed his brown coat and pulled it on over his tunic and ran an obligatory hand through his scruffy black hair before turning to pin her with a searching look.

"You are aware that that was not actually an answer, aren't you?"

Maeve just gave Merlin an elusive, blithe smile with the corners of her eyes scrunching winsomely at him. Before Merlin could respond, there was a sharp rapping noise at his door.

"Merlin, what are you doing? It's not a damned banquet, just get out here. Maeve is waiting for to be at breakfast in 10 minutes and I still have more than you would think left to tell you about this whole betrothal business, and so help me Merlin, if you're not out of there in the next 10 seconds, I'm going to drag you out, dressed or not!" Arthur threatened him from the other side of the door, beginning to count down, and somehow, Merlin was entirely sure that the young King would follow through.

"10, 9 . 8 , 7..."

A snort caught his attention as Merlin scrambled around the room, looking for somewhere to hide the Queen. Maeve looked like she was going to burst into laughter at any moment, one delicate hand covering her mouth gently. Merlin couldn't rely on decorum sny longer, the young man decided and grabbed her, pushing her to stand behind safely behind the door. Not close enough for it to hit her, but enough for it to cover her should the King decide to enter.

"6, 5, 4.."

"Please, I am begging you to just stay here until we leave, and then you can come out and meet us for breakfast." Merlin held his hands out at full length gingerly, praying that the Queen would listen to him.

"3..." Arthur was getting much more than irate now, judging by the slight edge to his voice.

Merlin looked imploringly at her, and when she nodded, Merlin thought he might cry in relief.

"2 - " Merlin wrenched the door open, practically tumbling out in his haste, huffing to see Arthur standing on the other side with Leon, arms crossed over his chest, neither of them looking particularly pleased to see him. The sorcerer realized the moment he stepped out of the room, the muffling spell broke immediately, he would have to figure out a way around that. Merlin noted the way the two of them were studying him, eyes travelling critically up and down his lanky frame.

"Leon, did he or did he not take an extra 10 minutes to come out here?" Arthur asked his knight, ignoring Merlin all together. Merlin rolled his eyes, turning away from the fussy prince, surreptitiously closing the door behind him and went to stand at the washbasin on the stand next to him, arbitrarily splashing some water on his face and then grabbing his kerchief from the shelf above the washbasin. The man was fussy when he didn't need to be and seemed to forget the fussiness when he did need it.

"He did, Sire." Leon nodded stoically. Merlin bit his tongue to keep himself from blurting out that the Knight would have said that day was night to please his Royal Pratness.

"So why, then, doesn't he look any better than he usually does?"

Merlin tied the kerchief around his neck, and shot his King a dirty look.

"Not all of us have hordes of servants dressing us and attending to us, Your Royal Dollopheaded-ness." Merlin heard a loud surprised laugh come from the closed door behind him and panicked when Arthur raised an eyebrow at the rood. Merlin thought fast and snorted a little bit, attracting the King's attention back to him.

Arthur sighed and picked up a half open parcel from the table behind him. It was the clothes that Gwaine had delivered to him yesterday before dinner.

"Well, fortunately for you, my dimwitted servant, your King has impeccable taste and dresses himself since his manservant was too busy sleeping to come and attend to his duties." He rifled through the contents of the bag and caught a hold of a few items, tossing them to Merlin, who nearly fumbled them to the floor before catching them properly, clutching them to his chest.

"Go. Change. You need to look the part of the Queen's betrothed." Arthur winced at the words. "Lord's., I cannot believe I've just said that. How that woman is voluntarily choosing to be your wife is honestly beyond me."

You and me both, Merlin thought, staring at the clothes in his grasp. When he didn't move from where stood, Arthur heaved a long suffering breath and then opened the door to his room, causing Merlin's head to snap up in shock. The Queen was slightly faster than the King, and all Merlin saw was the last tips of her hair disappearing behind the door.

"It's not that hard Merlin." Arthur bodily grabbed the man and tossed him into his room, making Merlin stumble and fall onto his bed. "Old clothes, off. New clothes on. Very simple. Hurry." He called from outside.

Merlin scowled, easy for you to say, you're not the one with a loony Queen in his room. He made eye contact with Maeve, who just seemed content to watch what was happening with interest.

"Be quick Merlin or I'll come in there and start stripping you myself!"

Merlin cried out in frustration and defeat.

"Alright, alright!"

He stripped out of both his shirt and coat and it was only when he made to go for his pants that he remembered he had an audience. He peeked up at Maeve, to see her looking unabashedly at him. He closed his eyes, counting to three, then opened his eyes and smiled, while motioning for Maeve to turn around. Maeve turned around, and looked behind her, as if Merlin could be pointing to anyone but her. She seemed genuinely surprised when she latched on to the fact that Merlin meant her. When Merlin repeated the motion with a bit more exaggeration, Maeve gave him a look that suggested he was being entirely too sensitive and made a show of covering her eyes and turning around to signify that she wasn't peeking. Merlin made quick work of the rest of his clothes and pulled on the new ones.

He had to admit that the new fabric didn't feel all that terrible against his skin, unlike the way yesterday's ensemble had been. The tunic was a deep ocean blue with complementary black trousers, and honestly despite the fact that he didn't feel uncomfortable, he got the impression of feeling very much like a trussed up turkey before being roasted.

While he inspected himself, Maeve turned around and appraised him, just surveying for a moment before nodding appreciatively. Merlin cracked a tense smile, and went to the door, motioning for the Queen to hide again, before opening it again.

"Ah, much better. Now come on Merlin, we need to go."

Merlin allowed himself to be dragged from out of Gaius's quarters, sparing a glance, through Arthur's chatter to see the Maeve waving at him, imperturbable, from his bedroom door.

Oh yes. She was definitely going to get him killed long before Arthur would get to if he found out Merlin had magic.

* * *

By the time they made it down to the Great Hall, Arthur had succeeded in nearly talking Merlin's ear off with mentions of traditions, rituals and ceremonies that he would have to partake in.

What's more, Merlin was dreading having to face his mother about this mess when she arrived tomorrow morning. It was bad enough that he was a practicing warlock stuck in the middle of Arthur's court, but now, he had attracted the attention of a foreign Queen. He was going to be getting an earful alright.

Maeve was, of course, standing at the entrance of the Great Hall, looking for all the world like she hadn't been scaring Merlin half to death, and instead curtsied elegantly in response to their bows and allowed herself to be led into the Hall, though she refused to hold Merlin's arm, maintaining that she was perfectly able to reach the table without help. Though she had said this in a jesting manner, Merlin could see the woman that accompanied her frowned reproachfully at that statement, making Merlin think that she didn't seem to share Maeve's sentiments.

They sat down at the table and within moments, the servants were out, setting the plates of piping hot rolls, fruit and freshly squeezed juices in front of them. They were silent for moment, all of them as they dug in, which Merlin was thankful for. All he needed was a 5 minute reprieve from the monstrosity of the last hour.

"So, Merlin, I'm told you're quite the interesting manservant, I believe I heard you call him something quite unique yesterday. ' Your Dollopheaded-ness' I think it was?"

Merlin's fingers twitched in surprise, nearly sending his bread tumbling to the plate. Arthur let slip a scowl for a moment, while the woman next to Maeve made a disapproving noise, as if to mean how a man of his status could take to talking to his liege in such a manner.

Merlin smiled at Maeve, now feeling singularly put out. This woman, Queen or not was intentionally poking at the flames here. That much you could tell from the amused expression she wore everytime she managed to land Merlin in some kind of hot water.

"I do believe you misheard me, your Highness. I would never dream of addressing the King in such a manner." Merlin was not going to look at Gwenivere. He wasn't. If he did, he would start laughing and it would be a veritable mess.

"Perhaps." Maeve delicately sipped her juice from the goblet placed in front of her. "I am more interested in the work you've done for Camelot since your arrival. I heard rumors that your employment here began by accident under the reign of King Uther?"

Merlin could see the minor clench in Arthur's jaw at the mention of his Father. Some time had passed since his death but it seemed the wounds remained.

"Yes, he saved me from an attempt on my life and my father then assigned him as my manservant."

"A position he has kept since then?"

"Yes."

"Why has there been no promotion? I'm told he's quite loyal, he's apparently knowingly ingested poison on your behalf?"

Arthur removed the crown from his suddenly, a move that surprised those sitting at the table. He ran his fingers through his hair roughly.

"He has, and not a day goes by that I regret putting him through that. He nearly died in order to prove he was telling the truth."

Gwenivere placed her hand over Arthur's as he spoke, clearly wanting to get something off his chest. Maeve herself had ceased eating, choosing instead to focus on Arthur.

"That day was one of a fair amount of confusion. In addition, it hadn't been all that long since Merlin had entered into service for me. I regret to say that I did not trust him at the time, for I had no reason to believe anything he was saying, as I erroneously considered him to be incapable of helping me beyond his basic duties."

The sorcerer ducked his face, feeling uncharacteristically warm around the collar. What had gotten into the prat? Normally it was like pulling teeth to get the man to admit that Merlin was even slightly helpful to him and here he was voluntarily offering praise? The man must be drugged, Merlin thought to himself. Then he caught sight of Maeve's expression, thoughtful and considering, and he wondered if there was a point at which he'd become perhaps too paranoid. Still, it made no sense that a Queen of a country like hers would come to Camelot seeking not the hand of a Noble, but a manservant?

What was definite, in Merlin's mind, is that the young Queen had come prepared. She had come specifically for him, but why did she want to marry him? If she had needed him for something strategic, it would be understandable, odd, but at the very least understandable.

So the fact of the matter was that now, he needed to figure out exactly what her intentions were.

* * *

Sometime after their breakfast, Merlin found himself back in Gaius's quarters, gearing up to go on a gathering hunt for precious herbs that they were running low on. Sage, Betony and Chamomile were just the beginning of the extensive list he had in front of him and honestly, he was thankful for it. It was a chance to escape the castle that had become a fast closing trap, quicker than he had realized it.

It wasn't until Merlin was well into the forest that he paused to think seriously about the conundrum he was now in. Up until this moment he had been so preoccupied with the present that he hadn't considered that if he weren't able to stop things from progressing any further with this lunatic Queen, he was well and truly going to end up the King of a nation he'd never set foot in his entire life.

Merlin stopped in the middle of stuffing bunches of sage into his satchel and scrubbed fitfully at his messy hair. It was no use, no matter how hard he thought about, he wasn't going to be able to find a solution at this rate. It was going to be useless to try and ask Arthur, the man wasn't going to be able to do much beyond inciting a war which Merlin suspected was the one thing that he very much did not want to do.

But a King he most definitely was not. Merlin could not think of any actual benefits to anyone in his position. He was neither learned in geography, languages, politics or manners. He had no tact, and had a regular habit of sticking his foot where it didn't belong. As a manservant, he had no real responsibility, so a quick punishment would generally wipe his slate clean of any supposed insult he may have caused, but as King? Merlin was sure he'd annihilate the entirety of the Kingdom with his big mouth alone.

Beyond that, Merlin had never even considered getting married. There had been Freya, yes, but even then, if Merlin had to be honest, he'd never thought about getting married. Though now that he thought about it, it wasn't as if he wouldn't have wanted to. He would have, greatly, but what struck him more was the realization that Merlin had never considered the option. Merlin suddenly began to see himself from his own perception. He'd never thought about it because he didn't think he could do it.

Him, a husband?

That would mean he would have a wife? What did one do once they were married? Physical intimacy aside, Merlin wasn't sure what on earth his role would be. She was the Queen of a foreign nation, no doubt the locals would take quite a bit of offense at an outsider waltzing in and saying he was their King. Which would mean then, that the enigmatic Maeve would do the ruling, which in turn made Merlin a sitting duck. The more Merlin thought about it, the less he liked it. At least here he had relative freedom, and agency. Over there, he would become a caged animal. Technically powerful and yet completely powerless, except for the power of his spouse.

And that was before he even thought about the fact that marrying Queen Maeve would mean leaving Arthur. If he left the man alone on his own, Merlin was sure that the idiot would wind up dead in a couple of days. Honestly, the amount of enemies he had was unnatural.

It was fast approaching sunset when Merlin looked up into the sky quite sometime later. He'd gotten so lost in his own thoughts that he'd forgotten about dinner. The newly engaged manservant swore under his breath. Arthur was going to have his head for this. He quickly dumped the spoils of the day into the large cloth he had brought with him, rolled it up and set off for Camelot.

* * *

By the time he managed to come through the gates, the sun had set and the sky was now a blanket of dark blue, casting a surreal glow on the nighttime façade of the Kingdom. Merlin might even have stopped to admire it if it weren't for the fact that he believed the good King might just off him finally tonight, Queen Maeve be damned.

As he bounded up the castle steps, coming through the front rather than the back for the sake of speed, Merlin caught sight of mud caked boots and realized that he probably looked like a right mess. He suddenly slowed down, shoving the herbs under one arm and licked him thumb, scrubbing furiously at a large dirt stain on the front of his tunic.

He managed to get rid of one, but quickly realized that there were many more where that one came from. The sorcerer briefly contemplated the use of magic but then decided that he preferred his head where it currently was: on his head and NOT on the floor.

Merlin sighed and went back to forlornly smearing spit on his shirt.

"The good lady might start to have second thoughts about you if she sees that Merlin. "

Merlin looked up to see Percival leaning on the corridor wall, eyes crinkling up in a wide smile. The warlock shrugged, giving up on the tunic as a lost cause and held the herbs properly against his chest.

"One can only hope." He grumbled, making his way past the burly knight, increasing his speed to keep up when the knight fell into step beside him.

"You're not happy about this?"

"Going from manservant to fiancé ? I'm not not happy but I'm not happy either."

"You could have just said you can't decide, why make things so complicated?"

"I'm not exactly thinking clearly here. My fiancée is a QUEEN. A bloody QUEEN."

"It could have been worse?" The man offered in hopes of soothing Merlin's frazzeled nerves. Merlin shot him a look that told him he was distinctly unimpressed.

"I could have married a woman in my league or better yet, stayed single!"

Percival snorted, as if amused by the notion of Merlin finding a woman on his own.

"I heard that. You don't think I could do it, do you?"

The large knight wisely bit his tongue whilst Merlin eyed him with a narrow gaze. Then he shrugged.

"To be honest, I agree with you. I think I probably would have liked to stay single. I have too many people I care about already to even think about falling in love. My priorities would be ridiculously skewed. Anything Percival had been about to say however, was cut short when Merlin was led into the Great Hall and stopped short by what he saw.

Arthur, Gwen, Maeve, Gaius, Lancelot, Gwaine, Elyan and Leon all stood there clearly greeting someone. A woman wearing a cloak, with her boots covered in dirt, and the bottom of the cloak stained dark brown. Arthur noticed his enterance and beckoned him over.

"Ah, Merlin, just in time. I was beginning to worry you'd run away when you didn't come back for dinner." The slight glint in the King's eyes was enough for Merlin to know he'd be hearing about it later. At length. "In any case, come here. She's traveled a long way to be here and tonight I'll arrange for the Housemaster to procure new rooms for the two of you, as the betrothed to Queen Maeve and her potential Mother-in-Law."

It was then that Merlin saw that Maeve was holding the hand of the woman rather intimately, this woman who for some reason still had her hood up. He circled around to face her and nearly dropped his herbs.

"Hello my lovely boy." Hunith smiled genially at her son, the expression belying a definite grim set to them. "What a surprise it was for me to see that young man ride up to my home and inform me that my son is getting married. What a happy turn of events." She's lying! Merlin thought, terrified all of a sudden. He now abruptly remembered why he'd been so well behaved when he'd lived with his mother.

"And of course, I just had to come as quickly as possible, Sire, to see what this was all about. I thought, as a mother, that he was just a simple servant to the King, but this. Well, will wonders never cease to amaze me. I mean, surely my son would have told me, would he not? Rather than just send me a letter after the fact?" Merlin gulped.

He'd been right. Merlin had kept saying Maeve was going to get him killed. He just hadn't anticipated that the one to kill him wouldn't be Arthur but his own mother.


End file.
